An Interview with Kate Deveaux (@KateDeveaux)

Thank you so much for having me as your guest today. I’m thrilled to pop by and chat about writing and my newest release Bottoms Up. And I love a Q&A!

How did you start writing erotica?

I started writing really racy stories in college. Short stories filled with scandalously graphic scenes that I found not only delighted me, but a few friends I had the nerve to share them with. At the time, erotica seemed kind of taboo, but I had always loved a sexy romance, and my interest was piqued in that genre for good. By the time I left college I knew anything I wrote would be classified as ‘erotica’ although now contemporary romance has much more graphic and erotic tones than it ever had before. And I’m glad for that!

What’s your favourite published work of yours and why?

I honestly cannot choose one book over another. I love them all equally, but some are more fun to write than others. I’m crazy about Cockpit, my mature erotic romance between a 58 year old woman commercial pilot and her high school sweetheart who reunite 40,000 feet in the air. That one was so fun to write and break the stereotype on ageism in romance novels. Same goes for Bottoms Up, even though the hero Justin and heroine Lexi are much younger than in Cockpit, it was truly fun to be so sassy in my writing and weave the drink recipes they act out each night into the story line. And then to let their erotic passions explode, one naughty drink at a time.

What erotic authors do you enjoy reading?

I’m a big fan of Opal Carew, Megan Hart, Lucy Felthouse, Jasinda Wilder, Ashe Barker, Desiree Holt and Tory Richards. If I had to pick just one book it would be by Jasmine Haynes, The Principal’s Office. Adore that book!

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Absolutely everywhere. Ideas pop into my head, places, people, situations. Sometimes it’s a character’s name and I just go from there. I write whatever occupies my thoughts, whatever awakens my heart and calls thrills my sensual side.

Do you have any unusual writing rituals?

I like complete and utter quiet. You could hear a pin drop when I write if it weren’t for the click click of my keyboard and the loud purr of my cat. This generally means I like to be alone when I write, except of course for my cat. I must confess Mr. Deveaux is a terrible distraction.

Where’s your favourite place to write?

My favourite place to write is in my favourite chair in my living room. I always have a cup of tea, a notebook for scribbling down things as I think of them, and my cat is usually nearby if not trying to climb onto my lap and then on top of my laptop.

Who is your favourite character from one of your stories and why?

I think my very favourite is Cassianna in Academy of Love. I love her because she is so open and vulnerable right from the start of her return to her beloved boarding school and her feelings are so raw and visible yet she takes a giant leap when she is reunited with Lawrence after all those years. I can’t help but love that about her!

Do your nearest and dearest know what you do, and if so, what was their reaction when they found out?

Only Mr. Deveaux knows what I write. It’s kind of fun little secret between us.

What was your ideal career when you were a child?

I wanted to be a nurse. It was all about the nurses uniform I think.

How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

I don’t really need a mood to write but I do crave peace and quiet so it’s tough for me if there is a lot of extraneous noise. Thank goodness for ear plugs 🙂

What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

The best tip I’ve ever been given is to write what’s in your heart and not to write for the market. The market will come to you. And it did, thank goodness!

If you get writer’s block, how do you get around it?

So lucky I haven’t had it yet — knock on wood. I try to avoid getting it by writing anything and everything down, grocery list, schedules, letters to a friend or even just a short descriptive paragraph to flex my writing muscles when I’m not working on a particular book.

If you could bring one of your characters to life, which one would it be and why?

Well, I think it would be Justin. The hunk, the sexy drinks he serves and the fact he’s a sweetheart of a bad boy would be just the thing to quench my thirst.

Which author, erotic or otherwise would you love to meet and why?

Desiree Holt. I love her books and have been intrigued by her career as her start as an erotic romance writer occurred later in life. I’ve seen her interview on TV but it would be a thrill to meet her in person. She’s a role model, a super successful author and a darn good one too!

What’s your favourite genre within erotica and why?

That’s a tough one. I think rubenesque or curvy romance with a threesome and I do love a good mistaken identity, threesome or otherwise, would be my faves. 🙂

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m just finishing up my Fit to Be Tied series book, Book One, BIMINI BOUND. A rubenesque mistaken identity ménage and more set aboard the boss’s mega yacht in the Bahamas.

What’s your biggest writing achievement?

Getting published! It took a while to get there, I attended scads of conferences and fretted over pitch sessions but in the end I received several offers for my books and I was delighted as I could be to launch my career as a published author. Along the way I met the most fabulous authors who bolstered my enthusiasm when I was discouraged and taught me invaluable lessons about the ins and outs of being a writer. I cannot thank all of them enough.

All the best,

Kate

xo

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Blurb:

A bartender with a penchant for naughty drink recipes is well known for crafting the perfect concoction for his clientele. Justin meets his match when down on her luck Lexi walks into his bar and he whips up a cocktail especially for her.

It’s not just the booze talking when Justin and Lexi explore his list of naughty drink recipes in more detail — after hours. Night after night, Lexi is drawn back to Justin’s bar for another deliciously dirty creation and another night of extreme fantasy when he shows her how to let go of her inhibitions — One tantalizing drink recipe at a time— Seems it’s definitely Bottoms Up for these two!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bottoms-Up-Kate-Deveaux-ebook/dp/B01N9O15UX

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Excerpt:

“So what’ll it be?” the bartender asked.

Lexi was instantly dragged back to the present.

“Uh…I don’t know,” she offered, wondering how a drink could possibly dull the emptiness inside her.

He gave a smile and a confident shrug. “Well then, you’re in luck.”

“How’s that?” she asked half-heartedly, not really in the mood for banter but realizing she was in need of a drink but with no clue what drink she wanted. Just something to make her forget the shitty day she’d had. And the even shittier year.

The bartender with the soul-searching eyes and the cute little smile that even Lexi had to admit was a bit of a mood lifter, leaned on the bar so his eyes were level with hers.

“You’re in luck because it so happens my drink picking skills are legendary.”

“Legendary?” She repeated his claim, aware some would consider her response a flirt, but she felt it was more of a challenge. A challenge to see if he could pick something for her that would make her feel…feel…What the hell did she want to feel anyway?

“Legendary,” he repeated.

Okay, he was definitely flirting. Lexi couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“You’re that confident,” she pressed.

“Ten to one I will pick the perfect drink for you.”

“Okay then…give it your best shot,” she said, beginning to enjoy thinking about anything other than her troubles while she stood still holding onto the bar stool, but not yet taking the plunge to hop on the stool and settle in.

Without her uttering another word, the bartender poured one long stream of silken liquor into a cocktail shaker. Its slow path had a mesmerizing affect on her. She watched while he picked up another bottle and poured another brightly colored liquor into the shaker at the same time.  He placed the bottles down and gave her a nod. Her pulse quickened when he gripped the shaker. The condensation on the container made her lips water but it was the flex of his muscled forearms that stirred something else in her. Something she thought she’d long forgotten. Desire.

After a few swift gyrations he uncapped the shaker with a flourish. Then slowly filled the chilled martini glass while reaching for another bottle, adding a final squirt of orange amber liquor to the drink. The effect creating a layered concoction the color of the most exquisite sunset with a deep blue layer on the very bottom while the fiery orange layer almost floated on top.

Satisfied with his handy work he slowly slid the cocktail towards her.

“Try this,” he offered.

Parched with anticipation, her mouth was so dry she wanted more than anything to down the divine looking concoction.

He smiled encouragingly.

One quick drink Lexi told herself. All she’d wanted was one drink. Not to hang out with a flirtatious and sexy bartender. All she was looking for was a reprieve from the scorching summer sun. Something to quench her thirst. And numb her despair. A brief respite before getting back to what she needed to do. Clean out the apartment and hand in the keys. And thanks to being laid off that morning, she now added finding a job to her growing ‘to do’ list.

Reaching for the glass, Lexi lifted it up to her lips, her gaze meeting his when her lips touched the rim.

“Bottoms Up,” he said with an undeniably sexy tone.

“Bottoms Up, ” she replied, trying to stifle her grin. And trying her best not notice to that he was still watching her. She tipped the glass and took a long sip. Yum. Sweet at first, then a surprising kick when the liquor layer melted down her throat — coursing past her tonsils and warming a spot right between her breasts. Her eyes teared from the potency of the drink.

“You like it,” he announced with satisfaction.

She nodded, and took another sip, this time the cool frosty layer lingering in her throat, ready for that warm shot of liquor to follow. Intriguing.

“Perfect,” she answered, showing him just how much it hit the spot by downing the rest of it in two more sips.

His eyebrows arched and he flashed a heart-melting smile. That was if she had a heart to melt, she chided herself.

“Go on, hop up, I’ll make you another.” He motioned for her to sit.

What now? Stick to her plan, one drink, pay her bill and be gone back into the heat? She watched him pull a martini glass from a cooler, the clear glass immediately frosting up even with the cool air conditioning keeping the bar bearable compared to the sweltering temperature outside.

She watched as he went about making another drink. Shit, how did this drinking in the afternoon thing work? Sure, she’d hung out in her share of nightclubs, into the wee hours with her friends, but this was different. She checked her watch. Four thirty in the afternoon. Heat of the Tucson day. Temps reaching one hundred ten degrees about now or even hotter. Heat or no heat, the last thing she wanted to do was walk back out that door and face life. The realty was it was easier to sit on the bar stool with this sexy bartender and forget about all her troubles.

That’s the spirit. To hell with reality!

Lexi nodded her approval and unhooked her foot from the barstool rung, settling herself up on the seat.  She knew she definitely needed another of whatever it was that warmed her from the inside out and made her bad day begin to seem a little less bad.

He put the finishing touch on the drink and then passed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said and glanced along the bar. A waitress waited impatiently at the end of the counter for their orders.

“I’ll get to those in a sec,” he assured them, but his attention remained on Lexi, expectantly, while she took another delicious sip and then another.

“It’s really very good,” she agreed, lifting the drink in toast. “Bottoms Up,” she added and took another sip. He gave a chuckle that made her blush. “That’s the name of the drink…?” she queried when he seemed to be enjoying a little humor that escaped her.

“Oh, that’s not the name of the drink,” he said, with a slow knowing smile that made her hand tremble as she clutched her glass. ‘Bottoms Up’ is the name of the bar,” he corrected her. Motioning with his head to the large pink neon sign over the bar that had somehow escaped her in the short time she’d been there. ‘Bottoms Up’ was spelled in winding script with a flourish at the end that looked distinctly like the bottom of a sexy ass.

Lexi’s cheeks flamed, feeling silly and embarrassed. She quickly took another sip. The cold rush of drink stung her right between the eyes. Ice cream headache.  Over the rim of the glass she caught his sexy grin. Like he was enjoying her discomfort. Mortified, she looked down, placing the empty glass back on the cocktail napkin, noting the “Bottoms Up’ emblem on it with a sassy drawing of a martini glass in the shape of a sexy round derriere.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Kate Deveaux is a contemporary erotic romance writer and die-hard romantic. A former wedding planner, she has always been “in love” with love! Kate is currently working on several fictional stories – each filled with sexy romance, heroines who are no shrinking violets and heroes who make your heart skip a beat. She currently resides with her husband in the U.S. When Kate is not busy writing, she can be found on the tennis court –yes, there’s even ‘love’ in that game too.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Author website: http://www.katedeveaux.com

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GIVEAWAY!

Kate Deveaux will be awarding a $10, $25 or $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway